Am I a Good Candidate?

Whether you are a good candidate for LASIK or any other vision correction procedure depends on your expectations of what refractive surgery can do for you. If you expect nothing less than perfect vision after refractive surgery, your expectations are too high and you are not a good candidate.

Of course, other factors are also important. For example:

If you have a very high amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, it's more likely you will have some residual refractive error remaining after surgery, requiring you to wear corrective eyewear for certain tasks or have a LASIK enhancement procedure.
If you have large pupils, you are more likely to experience halos and other night vision disturbances after surgery.
If you are over age 40 or are taking certain medications, you are more likely to have dry eye problems after the procedure.

At your pre-operative exam and consultation, your eye doctor should openly discuss your likely individual outcome based on the results of diagnostic testing, addressing these and other issues. Remember that while most people are candidates for refractive surgery, not all are good candidates.

And if your expectations exceed what refractive surgery will probably give you, don't have it done! Here is an FDA checklist to review all of the possibilities that will make you a good candidate for LASIK.

For complete information on refractive surgery candidacy, visit the Consumer Guide to LASIK & Laser Eye Surgery.